Non-aligned Foreign Policy and Constructive Neutrality

Published Date :
25 August, 2019 4:18 pm

By GP Acharya (KATHMANDU, 26 August 2019) – Right after Indian External Affairs
Minister S. Jaishankar visited to Nepal, Pakistani Foreign minister Shah M.
Qureshi made a telephone call to Nepali counterpart Pradeep K. Gyawali. Following
the Indo-Pak competitive engagement and influence in Kathmandu, Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to visit Nepal. Earlier, Foreign Minister Gyawali
was invited by the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington. Conceivably,
Secretary Pompeo would visit Kathmandu after Minister Wang Yi return back. All
these politico-diplomatic developments in Kathmandu reflect Nepal’s geo-strategic
significance in the regional and international political sphere. Meanwhile, how
Nepal maintains relations with Beijing, New Delhi, Islamabad or Washington is a
conspiracy concern of one over another, today.

With the changing dynamics of world
politics and developments in domestic, regional and international spheres,
Nepal’s policy of non-alignment has to be more constructive, today. Since India,
China and the US are equally involved in Nepal’s economic development and eager
to maintain good relations with Nepal hoping to be actively engaged in
Kathmandu, perhaps to balance their respective interests with one over another.
So, realizing the sensitivities and significance of geo-strategic role Nepal
has to make a prudent move with diplomatic acumen and balance the expectations
projected under SAARC, BIMSTEC, BRI and Indo-Pacific Strategy and beyond.

Re-visiting
Neutrality

Amid the decision of annexing Kashmir with mainland India after
provocation of Article 370, presumably, Indo-Pak tension will mount worst ever
in their history. Whether Kashmir is their internal or bilateral or trilateral
issue, the prospect of peace in the sub-continent is a regional (and
multilateral) concern whereas the three nuclear states- China, India and
Pakistan- are claiming their territorial right. Meanwhile, the rising tension
between India and Pakistan and the crisis emerged in their relations will
hamper regional peace and stability.

Nepal had adopted non-alignment
policy with the neighboring countries during the era of Prithivi Narayan Shah
that became fruitful in keeping the national sovereignty and integrity intact.
Accordingly, Nepal has to take no sides on the current issue of Kashmir,
however, it can express its concern as an incumbent chair of SAARC and urge for
peace if confrontation escalate ahead. Alike, as an active member of the Non-Alignment
Movement (NAM), Nepal has to play a constructive role that it can influence the
nature of regional (and international) relations in diverse ways. And, Nepal
has to equally leverage from all the powers by maintaining its relations
through inclusive political interaction, partnership and cooperation or
balancing and strategic-hedging since Nepal is in a system affecting position
right now.

Nepal has been taking an independent
stand in the UN since its admission. Nepal adopted ‘committed neutrality’
during the Sino-Indian war in 1962 despite of American willingness to help
Nepal (and India) in their defense against China. Nevertheless, Nepal adopted
‘silent neutrality’ over the first nuclear tests carried out by both USSR and
China, during Doklam issue, in Indo-Pak conflicts (except during the
premiership of KI Singh), on Malaysia-Indonesia confrontation (where Gorkha
troops were deployed under the British Army). Likewise, Nepal adopted
‘strategic neutrality’ during Vietnam War and did balance the relations with the
US, China and the USSR (all were Nepal’s good friends) but mentioned about the
outside interference, however, did not tag the US as an aggressor.

Conversely, the Gorkha troops were
involved during the Kashmir crisis in 1947-48. Nepal advocated for a peaceful
settlement of German, Cyprus and Cuban issues in the past, and condemned against
the aggression on Suez Canal in 1956 despite of having close relations with UK.
While, Nepal adopted ‘hushed neutrality’ on Lipulekh case and on its own
sufferings in 1962 and the coercive blocked imposed by India in 1989 and 2015,
may be, in the name of peace, friendship and historical ties. Even Nepal’s
neutrality is not preventing from participating in the UN forces, or (in)decision
on BIMSTEC military drill in (or out), or advocating on Venezuelan crisis, or participating
in the joint military exercise with China or the US. Equally, Nepal’s
involvement in British Army is contrary to its non-aligned policy as Gorkha
troops had been used in favor of British colonialism in the past and they have
been used as a security guarantee of British at present. All these involvements
may be perceived as Nepal’s derailed neutrality. Subsequently, where is Nepal’s
principled neutrality?

Constructive
Neutrality

Nepal’s policy of non-alignment has
to be operated in various directions: towards emerging powers (China and
India), towards superpowers (the US and the West), towards underdeveloped and
developing nations, and in the UN and Global Forums. With the balance and
counter balance strategy, Nepal has to strengthen its relations in all
directions and get larger access to global world by making globalization, open
world economy, multiculturalism and soft powers as its diplomatic tools. For
Nepal, diplomacy is the only tool that can make adroit use of its diplomatic
capital to advance its national interest. Meanwhile, historic resonance,
geo-integrity, geo-cultural reality, cultural affinity, geographical proximity,
geo-economics, pragmatic understanding and the contemporary needs have to be
comprehended.

“Small countries have little power
to alter the region, let alone the world. A small country must seek a maximum
number of friends, while maintaining the freedom to be itself as a sovereign
and independent nation… We must make ourselves relevant so that other countries
have an interest in our continued survival and prosperity as a sovereign and
independent nation”, remarked Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore. This
saying could be equally applicable to the foreign policy of Nepal. How well
Singapore is keeping close ties with both the US and China and paving a careful
line between these competing powers is the reflection of its active diplomacy
and principled neutrality. Singapore is uniformly maintaining close diplomatic
and economic ties with its Southeast Asian neighbors as well. While Singapore
can host a historic meeting between China and Taiwan or meeting between US
president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Why can’t Nepal
initiate a summit on Nepal-India-China (NIC) or Nepal-India-Pakistan in
Kathmandu?

As
an incumbent chair of SAARC, Nepal can create an ability to play a constructive
role of “neutral” negotiator between India and China (can host NIC Summit with
a schema of ‘Nepal’s Cooperation on
Global Outreach of India and China’), between India and Pakistan (with an
aim of resuming stalled SAARC with a schema of ‘Nepal’s Initiative on Regional Peace and Economic Integration’), and
host sensitive summits/dialogues on transnational issues such as terrorism and
crime control, climate change, Himalayan and glacier protection, peace and
human rights among others. Nothing is impossible in diplomacy. “In foreign policy there are no permanent
friends or enemies, there are only permanent interests”. India and
Pakistan do not have any options other than exercising the political and
diplomatic avenues to resolve the burning conflict and water down the
culpability to one over another. Peace to prosperity is the only option.

India, China and Pakistan, all as
momentous regional (and nuclear) powers, should not aim in making only their
nation stronger. They, however, have to think beyond the box and march ahead
for global leadership by making this sub-continent safer, stronger and
inclusive.

Realizing the sensitivities and
significance of geo-strategic role, Nepal has to adopt principled neutrality in
any of the conflicting issues that could help maximize its own power and
minimize the influence vis-à-vis other powers. Nepal has to play a role that
both India and China or India and Pakistan could help each other, avail the
plethora of opportunities and prosper together. If either one of India, or
China, or Pakistan prosper Nepal will benefit. If all the three prosper,
Nepal’s prosperity will be doubled. Therefore, Nepal has to balance its relations
with all the regional (and global) powers, maintain good friendship between
them and extend the scope of its maneuverability with a strong stand of Non-aligned
Foreign Policy and Constructive Neutrality.

Constructive
Neutrality

Acharya
is a researcher and analyst who holds an M.Sc. in Computer Science, M.Sc. in
Statistics, studied MPhil in Management and completed M.A. in International
Relations and Diplomacy.

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